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"The great jazz singer Anita O''Day operated in some far-out be-bop realm of her own, a small kingdom of dingy nightclubs and brute-force trios where she flashed her sharp, pretty teeth and her knowing cartoon eyes while living on the edge of music and even consciousness," writes Dan Callahan, who, in his review of Anita O''Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer at the House Next Door, recalls interviewing the woman herself in 2000.

"Ms O''Day, who died two years ago at 87, invented a cool, dry jazz singing style that influenced a number of, most notably June Christy and Chris Connor," writes Stephen Holden in the New York Times. "It was all about rhythm, improvisation and hip attitude. What repeatedly comes to mind when people invoke Ms O''Day is her feral, instinctive drive for freedom, both artistic and personal".

Posted by: dwhudson    Source